pity me, neither. I made up my mind not to marry
Grace--unless, of course, she was set on it--months ago. I'm tickled to
death to know she's goin' to have as good a man as you are. She'll tell
you so. Grace! Hello! she's gone."

"Yes. I told her I wanted to talk with you alone, for a few minutes.
Nat, Grace tells me that Aunt Keziah was the one who--"

"She was. She met me at the Cohasset Narrows depot. I was settin' in the
car, lookin' out of the window at the sand and sniffin' the Cape air. By
the everlastin'! there ain't any air or sand like 'em anywheres else.
I feel as if I never wanted to see a palm tree again as long as I live.
I'd swap the whole of the South Pacific for one Trumet sandhill with a
huckleberry bush on it. Well, as I started to say, I was settin' there
lookin' out of the window when somebody tapped me on the shoulder. I
looked up and 'twas her.

"You could have blown me over with a fan. By the jumpin' Moses, you
could! You see, I'd been thinkin' about her--that is, I was--"

He hesitated, turned red, coughed, and went on.

"I was surprised enough to see her, I tell you. Way up there at the
Narrows! I couldn't have said a word, anyway, and she never gave me a
chance. 'Nat,' she says, 'don't talk now. Come with me, quick, afore the
train starts.'

"Still I didn't say anything, nothin' sane anyhow. 'Keziah!' I managed
to stutter. 'KEZIAH!'

"'Come!' says she. 'Hurry! I want you to get off here. I've come here on
purpose to meet you. I must talk with you; it's important. You can go
to Trumet on the next train, to-night. But now I must talk with you. I
MUST. Won't you please come, Nat?'

"Well, I went. The engine bell was beginnin' to ring and we had to move
lively, I tell you. I swung her off the step just as the car begun to
move. After the smoke had faded away around the next bend I realized
that my hat had faded away along with it. Yes, sir! I'd left it on the
seat. Ha! ha! ha!"

He laughed uproariously. Ellery laughed in sympathy.

"However, I wa'n't worryin' about hats, just then. All I wanted to do
was stand still, like a frozen image, and stare at her. You see, John,
I hadn't laid eyes on a friend, one of the real homemade kind, for more
days than I wanted to count; and here was one of 'em, one of the best,
passed out to me unexpected and ahead of time, like a surprise party
present. So I just pumped her hand up and down and stared. I didn't have
any exclusive mortgage on the starin